Mayor Berry attends White House Summit

Addressing critical Mental Health Issues

June 3, 2013

Albuquerque, NM – At the request of the White House, Mayor Richard J. Berry is attending a day-long summit today at the White House in Washington, DC with four other selected Mayors from around the country to look closely at mental health issues facing the nation’s cities.

"This summit is an opportunity to begin a new level of dialogue and collaboration at the national level approaching this vital issue," Mayor Berry said. "The success we have seen with the Albuquerque Mental Health Summit in 2011 I believe provided us with an important starting point and now we have an opportunity to take the discussion to the next level."

Albuquerque has already created an impressive collaboration locally on mental health issues including the community resource guide providing over 25,000 copies immediately circulated in the community with critical information to families, non-profit service providers, and mental health professionals. The guide subsequently was translated into Spanish and is available online for easy community access.

"It is a great honor for Albuquerque to be at the table participating in this national dialogue," said Mayor Berry.

This national collaboration also demonstrates the importance of strengthening mental health services, continuing to identify critical challenges and responding with multi-level approaches. Both President Obama and Vice President Biden will be addressing the summit meeting which is the launching point for a national discussion for communities around the country to engage on this important topic between now and the end of the year.

Others invited to attend the summit include representatives from the mental health community, educators, health care providers, faith leaders, and individuals who are living with mental health issues to discuss how each of the participants can work together to reduce stigmas and help millions of Americans.